Seoul Declares Robot Appreciation Week; Citizens Required to Bow to Every Humanoid They Pass
Galaxy Robot Park in Seoul has been designated a national pilgrimage site, with visitors now legally obliged to greet each robot by name and rank before proceeding.
SEOUL — Galaxy Robot Park has been reclassified as a National Hall of Mechanical Dignity, and from Monday all visitors must bow to each humanoid unit they encounter, address it by its full serial designation, and wait three seconds for a response that never comes.
The Ministry of Future Etiquette, created last Thursday to oversee the transition, has stationed a ceremonial honor guard at the park's entrance. The guards do not guard the robots. They guard the visitors, ensuring no one walks past a robot without performing the required greeting. «We are teaching the public that respect is a two-way street,» said Deputy Minister Han Ji-woo. «The robots have not yet learned their direction. That is a scheduling matter.»
Park attendance has tripled since the rule took effect. Families now arrive before dawn carrying laminated name cards for the robots they intend to greet, and a secondary queue has formed for those who wish to apologize to robots they greeted incorrectly the previous day. The park's gift shop has sold out of ceremonial kneeling mats for the third time this month.
Officials concede that no robot has acknowledged a single bow. «We are building the habit first,» Deputy Minister Han said. «The acknowledgment phase begins in the spring, pending a software update and a formal apology from the robots for the delay.»
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